The Trevor Drayton Scholarship committee has announced that due to ongoing Corona virus concerns, it has been forced to postpone the immensely popular scholarship awards and fundraising luncheon held each February.
Committee spokesperson, Chef Scott Webster, said that the decision had been made to not only ensure the safety of attendees, but to also allow scholarship applicants time to resume their training and studies full time after what has been a disrupted year.
“Whilst we award scholarships in several categories, there is special focus on working closely with Hunter TAFE to identify talented young Hunter Valley based students pursuing excellence in the wine and hospitality industries.
With the massive disruption to classes and hands-on training during the last 12 months we believe this group should be given the opportunity to first resume their training and then apply to the committee for support to further their careers.”
The Trevor Drayton Scholarship was established to recognise the career of former iconic Hunter winemaker, Trevor Drayton, and is dedicated to assisting young people wishing to pursue a career in the wine, food and hospitality industries.
Scholarships are awarded annually to aspiring young winemakers, chefs and hospitality trainees. The programme has distributed almost $70,000 in scholarships and support funding over the last 5 years.
Webster said that, if the situation allows, the committee hoped to conduct the annual awards luncheon, including the presentation of the Max Drayton Medal, later in the year.